How Business Analysts Handle Big Data
The big data analytics market is predicted to reach $103 billion by 2023, and the market will likely grow by 20 percent this year alone.1 Many companies use big data in creative ways to gain insights that enable them to become and remain competitive in their field. For example, “Alex Pentland and his team at MIT...used location data from customers' mobile phones to estimate the amount of sales that would be recorded at Macy's on a Black Friday,” reported Business Analyst Learnings.2 “This was done by calculating the number of cars in the parking lot, even though the transactions hadn’t taken place.” A business analyst can help companies analyze big data in ways such as this to improve business outcomes.
How Business Analysts Help Companies Manage and Utilize Big Data
There is a plethora of different ways a big data business analyst can be of use to a company, but the primary way they add value is by helping organizations make sense of and use big data to their advantage. Big data can be overwhelming to handle because it is everywhere, and it is rapidly growing. For example, the vast majority of people leave data trails via their browsing history. This alone provides a tremendous amount of data that companies can use to create products that sell quicker, perform better, and appeal to more customers.
In Why Big Data is a Big Deal for Business Analysts, IIBA quoted Analyst Catalyst Learnings3: “Companies who can capture this data, process it as quickly as possible and make meaning of it will certainly gain unique insights that will ultimately become a source of competitive advantage for them.” Many companies need the help of a professional to capture big data, process it, assign meaning to it, and then create a strategy for improving business outcomes with it. A big data business analyst is often the best person for the job.
What is a Big Data Business Analyst?
There are several specialties within the field of business analysis. One is big data analytics. This niche often appeals to BAs who are skilled in managing big data and helping companies use it to become leaders in their industry. What is a Business Analyst and What Do They Do?4 stated,
“Big data isn’t just a new technology. It’s changing the face of how we do business, and that means that the business analyst’s role in big data is extremely important. It has been expanded to include that of business architect…. A business analyst can serve within a corporate IT division, a software firm specializing in big data, or a consulting firm.”
The Value of a Business Data Analytics Certification
If your goal is to establish yourself as a big data business analyst, consider getting a business data analytics certification. A business data analytics certification recognizes a business analyst’s ability to execute analysis-related work in support of business analytics initiatives. Certification is valuable because it proves a BA’s skills to an employer and adds weight to his or her resume. If you want to learn more about earning a big data analytics certification, take a look at this.
References:
1. Tech Jury. Big data statistics 2019. https://techjury.net/stats-about/big-data-statistics/.
2, 3. Business Analyst Learnings. Big data and the business analyst. https://businessanalystlearnings.com/blog/2014/8/17/big-data-the-business-analyst.
4. Edvancer Eduventures. Who is a big data business analyst and what do they do? https://www.edvancer.in/big-data-jobs-business-analysts/.